eight years

And more in love today.

40 years

My parents were married 40 years ago this weekend.

They were just 20 years old at the time!

Here they are, more adorable than ever, on a recent trip to Italy:

Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

You guys are amazing, and a total inspiration.

Here's to the next 40 years!

Love you.

Danny and Annie

A love story for the ages. So sweet and touching.

Sunset Sail

Here are some pics from the sunset sail Taro and I took around the tip of Manhattan on Monday to celebrate our anniversary. It was positively dreamy. We felt like we were on a mini-honeymoon!

Seven Years Ago Today

And now you are mine. Rest with your dream in my dream.

Love and pain and work should all sleep now.

The night turns on its invisible wheels

And you are pure beside me as a sleeping amber

No one else, Love, will sleep in my dreams.

You will go, we will go together, over the waters of time.

No one else will travel through the shadows with me,

Only you, evergreen, ever sun, ever moon.

--Excerpt from And Now You Are Mine (Love Sonnet LXXXI) by Pablo Neruda

Photos by Robert Mayer and Shannon O'hara.

Guest Post on Barefoot Childhood

Check out my short but sweet guest post today on my friend Madeline's wonderful blog, Barefoot Childhood. Madeline got married on Saturday, so she asked a bunch of her favorite bloggers to fill in for her and write on the theme of marriage while she takes a week off to rest and celebrate. Be sure to check out everyone's posts on Barefoot Childhood this week -- there's a terrific line-up!

Our Celebration

Last night Taro surprised me for our anniversary by taking me to dine at this magical establishment located under the Brooklyn Bridge, called the River Cafe (that's the restaurant in the photo above, actually floating in the East River with the magnificent span of the bridge flying overhead!). We had never been there before, but Taro had really done his research, so it proved to be one of the most perfect, romantic settings that we've ever dined in.  This was the view from our table (we watched the sun set over Manhattan):
For dessert they brought us their signature confection, a delicious cake adorned with a miniature chocolate model of the Brooklyn Bridge...

When we returned home, our friend and babysitter, Naudia, kindly took the following family photos to commemorate the occasion.  Since yesterday marked my 32nd week of pregnancy, these two pics can also serve as this week's belly shot:

Note:  For our date Taro wore the very same custom-made suit he wore for our wedding, and I wore one of my new Butter By Nadia dresses.

When we got home we followed our yearly tradition of repeating our wedding vows to one another.  I will leave you with those vows that we wrote six years ago, words which continue to shape our marriage every day:

 I vow to be faithful to you in mind, heart, and body.

I vow to be honest and share my true self with you. 

I vow to be a good communicator, to have patience, 

to listen to and be supportive of your dreams, 

and share my dreams with you.

I vow to be open minded and open hearted.

I vow to forgive your imperfections and to be able to ask forgiveness for mine.

I vow to be your teacher and your student.

I vow to be humorous and playful.  

I vow to be unselfish, to put our relationship first.

I vow to be the best parent that I can to our children. 

I vow to value your love and not take you for granted.  

These are my joyful vows.

Six Years Ago Today!

And now you are mine. Rest with your dream in my dream.

Love and pain and work should all sleep now.

The night turns on its invisible wheels 

And you are pure beside me as a sleeping amber

No one else, Love, will sleep in my dreams.

You will go, we will go together, over the waters of time.

No one else will travel through the shadows with me,

Only you, evergreen, ever sun, ever moon.

--Excerpt from And Now You Are Mine (Love Sonnet LXXXI) by Pablo Neruda

Photos by Robert Mayer and Shannon O'hara.

Unwinding

The album release was a huge success on Tuesday!  The special events room at the new Barnes and Noble was packed to overflowing with an eager and enthusiastic crowd that went crazy over the performances by the Our Time kids and celebrity artists.  It was a dream come true for Taro and I know that the reception exceeded his expectations. 

 

The Kiddo and I were able to snag plum seats in the front row, so when Taro went up on stage to introduce Our Time and kick off the show it was just too easy for the Kiddo to jump up there on stage with him.  Hence, my two-year-old son became cohost of the event, a job that he seemed to savor almost as much as his dad!

After the CD signing, the three of us hopped in a cab and went to Dean's Pizzeria for a celebratory dinner.  By the time we got home we were completely tuckered out from all the excitement.  The next morning we were still pretty hung over, so Taro impulsively decided to take the day off from work and spend it recuperating and rejuvenating instead, bless his heart.  So, yesterday was blissfully spent wafting from one chill family activity to the next, sans computers, phones, and clocks.

It's amazing how much you can do in a day when you're not trying to "do" anything!  We started out by getting on the bus and heading downtown to the High Line, which the Kiddo and I have been raving about since our first visit last week, and which Taro was dying to check out.  

photo via flickr

It was raining lightly off-and-on, so we spent several hours walking the length of the park, alternating with taking cover under one of the beautiful covered passageways and splashing about in sunny puddles.  Watching the epic sky was a pastime in and of itself (you can see everything from the Statue of Liberty to the Empire State Building and beyond).

When we finally decided we needed nourishment (beyond the delicious oatmeal cookies and lemonade available at the little City Bakery pushcart up on the High Line, we descended back

to street level and entered the adjacent Chelsea Market.

The market has long been one of our favorite destinations in the city, but I can't remember the last time we spent hours there, drifting from one marvelous establishment to the next with no schedule or agenda.  It is so fun to be aimless!  

While the Kiddo was asleep in his stroller, Taro and I decided 

to splurge on some homemade ice cream from Ronnybrook Dairy,

a local, all-natural farm that makes the most yummy, subtle flavors of ice cream (after liberally sampling the offerings, it was butter pecan for me, coconut for Taro).  Later, we ate at a new little spot called Friedman's Lunch, which proved to be totally delish.

Once the Kiddo was awake, he made a b-line for the colorful wares of 

Imports From Marrakesh, with its piles of vivid leather poufs piled inside and out, the rainbow of Fez tiles covering the floor, and a dazzling array of glittering lanterns festooning the ceiling.  The storekeepers were so kind and welcoming, interacting with the Kiddo, that we were lured right in and I decided then and there to put an end to my lifelong need for a pouf.  After all, they were having a giant 50%-off sale!  With the assistance of the staff, we perused every color available and sat on pouf after pouf, testing them out.  

In the end, I got three small poufs -- one fuchsia, one orange, and one turquoise to scatter about the apartment.  The quality is really excellent (the poufs are hand stitched in Marrakesh) and I am amped to have several nice little places to roost my increasingly cumbersome pregnant self when I'm playing on the floor with the Kiddo!  Check out the store's website, here.

The last long stop on our market stroll was the recently-opened KicoKids store, which stocks the most adorable kid's clothing in a fun and inviting space complete with a play area.  The Kiddo was in his element exploring the two playhouses and all the funky, kid-friendly furniture, until he lay down in the middle of a bright red rug and looked like he had passed out.  We took that opportunity to move along, and carried him out of the store, indeed right out of Chelsea Market and on to the street, where we promptly headed home.  

It was a glorious day in New York, and just the thing we needed to feel connected and refreshed after the recent peak of Our Time season.  Today, Taro returned to work, but he will not be staying late for the first time in quite some time.  And this Saturday and Sunday, he'll have his first real weekend (two consecutive days off!) in weeks.  Hooray!

More Memories

Photos from late in my last pregnancy, about two years ago.  Taken in Central Park, near our apartment, by Liz Rubincam.

Missing Dada

Transcript of a conversation between me and the Kiddo, about five minutes ago:

Me:  Let's make soup for dinner!  Wouldn't that be good?

Kiddo:  No.

Me:  Really?  What DO you want for dinner?

Kiddo:  Dada.

Note:  We just saw Dad a few hours ago, before he left for work, but sometimes we just miss him like woah.